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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Engine/Drivetrain => Topic started by: JohnnyPopper on April 09, 2019, 01:55:11 PM
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Weird thing happened this weekend:
Driving on the beach, and not really abusing the truck, just powering through some sand in 4x.
Come up on level hard pack, and the starter engages while engine is running.
I slow to a stop, and the starter is just howling so I shut it down.
I open the hood and oil around the starter has caught fire, not alot, but it was burning.
Got that out, tried to restart and only the solenoid engaged but no spinney town.
Towed home, changed out, no repeat of symptom.
Has anyone experienced this? Wiring to solenoid looked good. Starter switch?
I will perform an autopsy and get back to you with finding.
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Was the starter soaked in oil?
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no, just the oily surface caught fire.
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Something caused the solenoid to engage the starter. I wonder if a glob of wet sand bridged the starter terminal with the battery cable terminal. Unlikely, but this is an unlikely sort of problem. Alternately, an internal short may have occurred. Again, unlikely, but something happened. You might take the starter to a discount auto parts store and have them bench test it. Sounds like a new starter will probably solve the problem. Let us know what transpires.
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that's the best theory yet!
I already change it out, I'm redoing a 1980 C-10 so had a starter ready to go.
It truly was a strange occurrence.
Checked my ignition switch for loose travel/play, she is tight.
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So I had this happen to me in my 87 suburban with 6.2L. I was off roaring and all I can figure is from all the bouncing and flexing the frame it grounded out the positive cable running from the battery to the starter.
Same thing, it engaged and kept spinning. I stopped jumped out and disconnected my positive battery cable. Thankfully I didn’t have a fire like you did. But what I did have is the starter chewed up about 4or 5 flywheel teeth in a row so for months it was like rolling the dice, if the engine stopped and the gap in the flywheel lined up just right when I went to start the engine the starter would just spin. I would have to take a large wrench and wedge it between the bolts on the fan clutch and manually rotate the engine so that the starter gears and teeth on the flywheel would line up. I had to do this for over a year. I was young and broke (still broke) and didn’t have the money to fix it.
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Wow!
Young and broke is the mother of D.I.Y. gear heads like us!
Thanks for sharing!
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one thing that saved me a few times when i was younger i worked at autozone and bought a lot of duralast products for my gm trucks. since they all pretty much shared the same alternators and starters they pretty much only got paid for a time or two the rest would be replaced under the lifetime warranty